Meet Liz McCalley, DVM | Veterinarian & Founder of ZumiVet In-Home Veterinary Care

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liz McCalley, DVM and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It was March of 2020 and I had just quit my full time job as a medical director for a boutique veterinary practice in Coronado–just in time for the COVID 19 pandemic! I knew that I wanted more flexibility in my work life and was feeling burnt out. My plan was to work as a relief veterinarian, helping to fill in at hospitals all over San Diego. I thought doing so would help me to find a new job that better met my needs. During this time, I completed my Fear Free certification, a training program that teaches veterinarians and pet care professionals low stress pet handling techniques. During the pandemic, veterinary practices began performing curbside appointments, in which pet parents were not allowed to join their pets during veterinary visits. I began noticing that many dogs and most cats were much more fearful, anxious and stressed when their human parents couldn’t be by their side to comfort them. That is when my vision of ZumiVet, an in-home veterinary practice was born. I wanted to help take the stress out of vet visits both for pet parents and their pets, allowing visits to take place in the comfort of their homes. I wanted to be able to focus on longer in-depth vet visits which would allow me to really get to know my clients and their pets, which in turn would help me to provide the best care.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
With ZumiVet, we bring the vet to you! Gone are the days of shoving your cat into a carrier, or dragging your terrified dog by the leash, to bring them through the doors of a veterinary clinic. Your cat can rest comfortably in her own bed while she receives an exam and vaccines. Your dog can lay on your living room sofa with you by his side while he receives a blood draw. At ZumiVet, we pride ourselves on thorough, typically hour-long visits, so you’ll never feel rushed and will be able to discuss any concerns that you may have regarding your pet’s health or wellness.

The journey to get ZumiVet to where it is today wasn’t always easy. Mobile veterinary practices are still a relatively new business model and there wasn’t a book that I could read to find out how to best set everything up. Some challenges included spending lots of time helping my elderly clients remove their cats from under beds or behind furniture so they could receive their exams. My assistant, Mollie, now coaches new clients to put cats into a bathroom or other room without hiding spaces before we arrive so that we have easy access to them.

Another challenge I have faced has been competing with the corporate mobile veterinary practices that have moved into San Diego. These companies are backed by private equity and have very high marketing budgets, increasing their online visibility to prospective clients. However, I have had many clients that first experienced a visit with a corporate mobile vet and then with ZumiVet. They always tell me they will never go back to a corporate mobile vet because we are superior at communication and preparing our clients for their pet’s appointments, we are more thorough, and we provide clear instructions and follow up care that is unrivaled. My clients and patients are not just another number to me, I really care about them and want to do everything that I can to improve the lives of their pets.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My itinerary if I wanted to show a friend the best week ever in and around San Diego:
Monday:
-Grab breakfast burritos at Taco Surf in Pacific Beach.
-Hike Cowles mountain to get in a good workout and an awesome view of San Diego.
-Back to PB for dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant, Enoteca Adriano.

Tuesday:
-Brunch at Breakfast Republic in Liberty Station
Walk around Liberty Public Market
-Hike down to Black’s Beach and soak up the sun–clothing optional of course 😉
-For sunset, visit Torrey Pines Glider port to watch the paragliders and experience some of the best sunset views San Diego has to offer.

Wednesday:
-Go for a morning drive up the pacific coast highway.
-Get some zen at the Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens in Encinitas
-Brunch at Swami’s Cafe in Encinitas
-Go pet all the dogs at the dog beach in Ocean Beach.
-Browse the farmer’s market, eat dinner and watch a drum circle in Ocean Beach

Thursday:
-Surf lessons in Mission Beach to work up an appetite for fish tacos at Sandbar.
-Hang out at the beach in Mission Beach
-Ride the roller coaster at Belmont Park.
-Sunset sushi at Cannonball in Mission Beach

Friday:
-Take Donny Starkins’ 9 am yoga class at Trilogy Sanctuary in La Jolla.
-Eat brunch at Trilogy Sanctuary’s all vegan and organic cafe. I highly recommend the mac and cheese–yes even for breakfast.
-Do some shopping in La Jolla village.
-Go visit the sea lions at La Jolla cove.
-Eat delicious tacos at Puesto in La Jolla
-Catch a live music show in the sand at Beach House SD in Mission Beach

Saturday:
-Grab coffee and stroll around the streets of Little Italy while waiting for a table for brunch at Morning Glory. Morning Glory has amazing food and drinks and the decor is so Instagrammable.
-Go to the amazing San Diego Zoo and be sure to ride the Skyfari cable cars at sunset for spectacular views of Balboa Park
-Go to Kindred in South Park for dinner and cocktails.

Sunday:
-Go for a hike at Torrey Pines State Park
-Brunch overlooking the ocean at The Kitchen at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla and walk around the museum afterwards.
-Catch a San Diego Padres baseball game downtown

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is dedicated to the Fear Free initiative, which works to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them. Vet care can be very scary for pets. After all, we have to poke them with needles, manipulate their bodies in awkward ways in order to examine them, and often bring them into a veterinary clinic that is filled with scary noises, strange smells, and multiple stressed out pets. This experience can make pets terrified of veterinary care and often makes their pet parents avoid vet visits all together, leading to poor health outcomes. Through my Fear Free certification, I have learned to use positive reinforcement techniques such as delicious food rewards and fun toys to make vet visits pleasant for pets. I also offer oral and injectable sedatives for very nervous pets to help reduce their fear, anxiety and stress.

In addition to Fear Free, I’d like to give a shoutout to my husband, Ira Hayes. Ira is a serial entrepreneur and he was the person that pushed me to start ZumiVet. When I would express my concerns about what I didn’t like about the way a practice was run or how my bosses were managing things, he’d tell me to stop complaining and do it myself! In veterinary school we don’t get a lot of training in how to start or run a business so the idea of starting a business from scratch was super scary to me. Ira’s encouragement and support gave me the confidence to jump into the unknown and to learn by doing.

Website: https://zumivet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zumivet

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/72161781/admin/feed/posts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZumiVet/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/zumivet-san-diego-3